May is National Mental Health Month. Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio will host its annual FREE Continuing Education presentation for nurses and social workers.

In 2016, the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office estimated that the opioid epidemic has claimed the lives of over 600 people just in Cuyahoga County. That’s more than double the 2015 death toll due to opioid overdose. Psychiatric nurse Thom Huggins, RN, will present relevant educationdetailing this epidemic. The presentation will include interventions to assist clinicians with this emerging crisis.

As a visiting nurse, Thom brings the perspective of someone who has worked in the home healthcare industry for over 40 years. You will also hear from others in our communities, including:

Valeria Harper, MA, CDCA, Vice President of Operations at the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County

By participating in this presentation, nurses and social workers will receive 2.0 continuing education credit hours.

Thom Huggins, RN is a psychiatric nurse with Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio’s mental health department. In his role, Thom is the lead psychiatric nurse for the Bridge Program which is designed to meet the needs of uninsured individuals living with a mental illness and are being discharged from the state psychiatric hospital. Thom has extensive knowledge in the industry and has worked in several aspects of the healthcare system including inpatient and psychiatric emergency departments, schools, home care and corrections.

The Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Ohio Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. (OBN-001-91) (OH-108, 2/01/18)

The Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio is approved as a provider by the State of Ohio, Counselor and Social Work Board (03/19.RSX051202.) Continuing education credits for these programs satisfy license renewal requirements for Social Workers.